Clear matter on the Thames?

While Shakhtar Donetsk are still waiting for their first goal in the Champions League group stage after two games, the Gunners have picked up four out of a possible six points with 2-0 goals. On paper, the tip for the home win of Arsenal against Shakhtar Donetsk seems to be an obvious choice. However, Arsenal fluffed their lines at the weekend with a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.

The Gunners also have a crucial Premier League game against Liverpool coming up next Sunday, which is already casting its shadow and also has an impact on the Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk prediction. It therefore remains to be seen whether Mikel Arteta will really send his best possible team into the race, which could potentially open up opportunities for the so far unsuccessful Ukrainians.

Ultimately, however, even a B-team from London is vastly superior to the Ukrainians, who are on the decline. Accordingly, the bet that the Gunners will be able to build on their impressive home record in the group and league phases of the Champions League, in which they have not lost a home game since September 2015 (eight wins, one defeat) and kept a clean sheet in all eight wins, is coherent.

Arsenal – Statistics & current form

The fact that the Gunners were a hot candidate to be the second London club besides Chelsea FC to bring the trophy to the Thames was only recently proven on matchday 2 of the Champions League group stage. Mikel Arteta’s men sent Paris Saint-Germain home with a 2-0 win.

The first setback for Arsenal FC

Meanwhile, the Gunners were also competing at the top of the Premier League again, but had to accept a bitter setback at the dress rehearsal at the weekend, of all times. After seven consecutive league games without defeat (five wins, two draws), they suffered a cold shower on Saturday, against underdog Bournemouth of all teams.

An early red card for William Saliba meant that the Londoners had to play for over an hour with ten men, suffering a 2-0 defeat. The fact that seven players are currently injured or at least have minor injuries doesn’t make the situation any easier.

Arsenal have a strong home record in the Champions League

Nevertheless, the tip for the home win of Arteta’s team against Shakhtar Donetsk is looking very good overall. In the group and league phases of the Champions League, the Londoners have not lost any of their last nine home games (eight wins, one draw), with all eight wins coming without conceding a goal.

The question will still be to what extent Mikel Arteta already has the important match against Liverpool in the back of his mind and whether further key players will be spared. The guests from Ukraine have so far remained goalless twice in a row. However, underestimating Donetsk because of this should not happen to the Gunners either. After all, they have only won two of four international competitive matches against Hirnyky (two defeats).

Schachtjor Donezk – Statistics & current form

Schachtjor Donezk is no longer an unknown club internationally. The team, which has been relying on talented players from Brazil for a good two decades, won the UEFA Cup in 2009, has participated in the Champions League several times and even made it to the quarter-finals of the most important European club competition in early 2011.

Currently, there are twelve foreign players among the 29 players in the A-squad – seven of them from Brazil. However, all of them are still players with plenty of room for improvement and potential for development. This is also reflected in the first results.

Schachtjor Donezk with a poor record in England

Although the Hirnyky (in English: the Miners) managed to draw a 0-0 away against Bologna FC on the first day of the league phase. On the second day, however, they lost 0-3 to Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo in their “home game” at Schalke.

With the odds clearly against the Kroty (English: Moles) at Arsenal against Shakhtar Donetsk, the team of coach Marino Pušić could now face a similar fate. Bet365 offers odds of 26.00 for tip 2, which should be played for with a maximum free bet without a deposit. In the CL preliminary round, only one out of 21 possible points has been scored in the previous seven away games in England.

Shakhtar Donetsk is still waiting for its first goal

The Kroty need to improve considerably in offense. The club, which traditionally plays in orange and black and is currently only fourth in the table in Ukraine, did manage a 1-0 away win at Kolos Kovalivka last Friday, thus celebrating a successful dress rehearsal.

Internationally, however, the Hirnyky not only went winless on the first two matchdays of the league phase, but also went scoreless. Just how poor their offense was can be seen from the fact that no other of the 36 teams in the Champions League league phase had fewer shots (ten) and shots on goal (only one) than Shakhtar Donetsk.

Arsenal – Shakhtar Donetsk Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to head: 2 – 0 – 2

The two teams have met four times so far – in the 2000/01 and 2010/11 Champions League group stages. In all four previous meetings, the home team came out on top. The last time they played at the Thames, on October 19, 2010, they suffered their heaviest defeat to date, 5-1, against Arsenal FC.

Arsenal – Shakhtar Donetsk betting tip

The betting odds of the best bookmakers are clearly and unequivocally beating Arsenal against Shakhtar Donetsk, who have not lost any of their last nine home games (eight wins, one draw) in the group and league phases of the Champions League and have kept a clean sheet in all eight wins. The visitors from Ukraine are also one of only four teams not to have scored a goal in the first two matchdays of the league phase, while the Gunners have kept a clean sheet in both games.

Against this background, the prediction that Arteta’s team will win to zero again is very interesting for the game between Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk, especially since none of the 36 teams in the Champions League group stage had as few shots on goal as the Ukrainians (only one) on the first two matchdays.

Intertops offers odds of 1.70 for the Londoners’ home win with a clean sheet, which we will take up with three out of ten units.